Two medicines, side by side
Lubiprostone vs prucalopride
Lubiprostone and prucalopride are both labeled for constipation. Drugs@FDA records approvals of lubiprostone since 2006 and of prucalopride since 2018. Pharmacies paid $0.651 per lubiprostone 24 mcg capsule and $0.639 per prucalopride 1 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. In FDA's classes, lubiprostone is a chloride channel activator and prucalopride a serotonin-4 receptor agonist.
Check it at the source: the lubiprostone FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 28, 2026); the prucalopride FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 17, 2025).
Highlights of the lubiprostone record
Lubiprostone (Amitza) · label of July 28, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsLubiprostone is a chloride channel activator indicated for the treatment of: chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) in adults. ( 1.1 ) opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adult patients with chronic, non-cancer pain, including patients with chronic pain related to prior cancer or its treatment who do not require frequent (e.g., weekly) opioid dosage escalation. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- January 31, 2006
- Generic labelers
- 10 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.651 per capsule
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 3
Highlights of the prucalopride record
Prucalopride (Motegrity) · label of July 17, 2025
Used for
From the label: indicationsMOTEGRITY ® is indicated for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) in adults. MOTEGRITY is a serotonin-4 (5-HT 4 ) receptor agonist indicated for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) in adults.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 14, 2018
- Generic labelers
- 18 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.639 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Lubiprostone label of July 28, 2026, Prucalopride label of July 17, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do lubiprostone and prucalopride differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, lubiprostone is a chloride channel activator and prucalopride a serotonin-4 receptor agonist.
How each works, in its label's words: Lubiprostone, “Lubiprostone is a locally acting chloride channel activator that enhances a chloride-rich intestinal fluid secretion without altering sodium and potassium concentrations in the serum.”; Prucalopride, “Prucalopride, a selective serotonin type 4 (5-HT 4 ) receptor agonist, is a gastrointestinal (GI) prokinetic agent that stimulates colonic peristalsis (high-amplitude propagating contractions …”
Generics: lubiprostone since 2021; prucalopride since 2024 (Drugs@FDA).
| Lubiprostone | Prucalopride | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Constipation, Irritable bowel syndrome | Constipation |
| Pharmacologic class | Chloride Channel Activator | Serotonin-4 Receptor Agonist |
| How it works (label) | Lubiprostone is a locally acting chloride channel activator that enhances a chloride-rich intestinal fluid secretion without altering sodium and potassium concentrations in the serum. | Prucalopride, a selective serotonin type 4 (5-HT 4 ) receptor agonist, is a gastrointestinal (GI) prokinetic agent that stimulates colonic peristalsis (high-amplitude propagating contractions [HAPCs]), which increases bowel motility. |
| Half-life (label) | n/a | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | January 31, 2006 | December 14, 2018 |
| First generic approved | November 30, 2021 | December 26, 2024 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 10 labelers | 18 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.651 per capsule (Lubiprostone 24 mcg capsule) | $0.639 per tablet (Prucalopride 1 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -21% | -95% |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 3 | 0 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 9,403 | 2,617 |
| DEA schedule | none | none |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Alternatives to lubiprostone
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions